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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25395934">Winter Comes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AristoRaccoon/pseuds/Xiel'>Xiel (AristoRaccoon)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Gen, Snow Day, Structure what is that lol, no beta reading, winter spirit au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:01:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25395934</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AristoRaccoon/pseuds/Xiel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zhan Tiri's blizzard is a harsh thing. What if the young alchemist hadn't made it back home? And who is the mysterious boy that appears in Old Corona at the first drop of snow?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Quirin &amp; Varian (Disney)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>185</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Blizzard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I decided to make a one-shot of me and Neet's Winter Spirit AU, filled with lovely angst. Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Zhan Tiri was set to strike when Corona was at its weakest.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Sorry kid”, the guard said as he threw the boy outside, back into the cold snow.</p><p>Varian looked back with a broken expression as the palace doors closed behind him, taking all light with them. The glowing vials on his staff were the only thing keeping him from being encased in the storm’s darkness.</p><p>His dimming hope.</p><p>Wasting not a second more, the alchemist got up to his feet and started running back home, with his mind racing at the events that had just transpired.</p><p>
  <em>Just give me until my father returns, everything is going to be okay</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I promise</em>
</p><p>She had promised! She would help him with the rocks! Why did she go back on her word? He needed help <strong>now</strong>!</p><p>He arrived at the bridge, almost slipping on ice, and looked back. The castle of Corona stood tall, shining with small lights.</p><p>And it made him angry. Angry at their betrayal. Angry that they could be all cozy and bundled up while he had to go back home in a blizzard.</p><p>He really hated the snow now.</p><p>With newfound contempt in his heart, Varian gave one last look before running back. He would figure this out by himself! This was nothing new, he was used to working alone!</p><p>He would free dad and make him proud!</p><p>The young teen ran and ran, the harsh and cold winds blasting in his face and making his vision blurry with tears. He lifted his staff and the vials dimly lit up the area; Varian tried using his mind map to guess where he was.</p><p>No luck, white and grey were all that filled his vision. Varian growled under his breath and kept running forward, despite the shivering. It was getting cold; he couldn’t feel his hands and feet anymore.</p><p>“No…N-Not yet!”, he shouted. It was getting harder and harder to move, the howling winds blocking his senses and lulling him to a false peace.</p><p>
  <em>You need to rest, just for a little while</em>
</p><p>The idea was appealing. He was exhausted and lost, and his mind told him to sleep. Varian kept on walking, his eyelids growing heavier by the moment and soon found a small cave nearby; he must be near the mountain…but how did he get here…?</p><p>…That question will be for another time. The rush of adrenaline was going away and he could not keep going in this destructive blizzard. He needed refuge if he were to get back home to dad. Varian removed the snow from his cloak and clothes, before sitting down and leaning against the cold stone wall. At least now he was shielded from the winds.</p><p>He was tired…His vision was blackening and his senses numb…</p><p>“Don’t worry dad…I’ll come back…as soon as I…sleep…”</p><p>The alchemist closed his eyes and his posture slouched. The wooden staff fell to the ground and the vials shattered, their glowing contents spilling as the boy was finally left in total darkness.</p><p>The winds kept howling.</p>
<hr/><p>He could vaguely hear the sound of crackling, through closed eyes.</p><p>…A song?</p><p>Finally his limbs could somewhat move again as his prison started loosening up, melting away into liquid amber. Quirin fell to the floor, gasping for air as his whole body kept shaking. Despite being suddenly freed he was feeling weaker.</p><p>“Come on…shine…me. You did…kept…promise. Please come back”</p><p>Who was that? What was going on? His senses were blurred and could only make out vague shapes. Blue and brown, with large strands of black.</p><p>A gasp and the strands of black became golden. His eyes widened in realization as the feelings of weakness promptly left him. This was Frederick’s daughter.</p><p>The Sundrop.</p><p>…Why was she here?</p><p>Quirin’s eyes suddenly widened in horror and he tried to get up on his feet. This caught Rapunzel and the other man’s attention and they rushed over to help stabilize him.</p><p>“V-Varian-! Where’s my son?”, he gasped out.</p><p>He saw the look in their eyes. A look that told him everything he needed to know despite the denial that kept digging at his mind.</p><p>
  <em>Regret</em>
</p><p>“…Q-Quirin…Varian’s…Varian’s gone…”, she said with sadness in her voice and unshed tears.</p><p>“…What…?”</p><p>“I-It’s been over a year since you’ve been trapped. No one’s…heard of him since the blizzard”</p><p>His son was…gone? No, no it couldn’t be…</p><p>“I…refuse to accept that, Princess”</p><p>“Quirin-“</p><p>“I will look for him myself”</p><p>The man finally got to his feet and calmly walked towards the door, leaving his rescuers in the cold lab. His son couldn’t be gone. That would mean…T-That would mean he’s lost his entire family. And he couldn’t bear to think about that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Loss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There is nothing more tragic than the loss of an innocent life.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been months. Autumn was soon to end and still no trace of his son anywhere. Some of Old Corona’s villagers had decided to help, but the old knight had doubts about their will to participate; they hadn’t looked for him before, after all. Eventually, they had gone back to their routine, leaving him alone to find his missing family. He had checked the main roads to the Island, without any success. It was time to go off-terrain and explore the areas around the village, where Varian <em>shouldn’t</em> technically have gone, but the blizzard might’ve confused his sense of direction.</p><p>Quirin heard worried chittering and gave a pat to his raccoon companion perched on his shoulders. Ruddiger had been a small blessing, like a piece of his son that was still around and willing to help.</p><p>“We’ll find him Ruddiger, don’t worry”</p><p>Yet despite those reassuring words, he had trouble believing them himself. His hope was dim, almost all gone by this point. But one part of him refused to give up.</p><p>The dry leaves crackled under his steps as he approached the bottom of the mountain. Tall and impressive, it stood as a natural defense to protect Corona.</p><p>Ruddiger’s head suddenly perked up and he started sniffing the air, quickly leaping off the man’s shoulder and smelling the grass. The raccoon took on a surprised expression, ears alert, and chittered excitedly while running towards the rocky barrier. It kept running and running, finally arriving in a cave where the scent of Varian was coming from.</p><p>But Ruddiger came to full stop upon the sight.</p><p>“Ruddiger? Where have you-“</p><p>Time stopped entirely as soon as Quirin set foot inside the cavern. His heart swelled with indescribable pain and he slowly approached it.</p><p>A skeleton leaning on the wall. It was wearing what he recognized to be his son’s winter clothes, his gloves and…his goggles. The old goggles that had belonged to his wife; he had gifted them to his son for his 5<sup>th</sup> birthday.</p><p>As if the universe wanted to give him more proof, he recognized the coloured splatters on the ground close to it, refracted through the broken glass.</p><p>Quirin fell to his knees as despair filled his entire being. He lifted up his young son and tears fell without mercy. His worst nightmare had come true in the end.</p><p>The pained wails of a broken father were all that reverberated throughout the cave as his entire world came crashing down.</p>
<hr/><p>He was nothing but a shell of himself nowadays, standing at the base of an apple tree near his home. He could only be grateful people left him alone to grieve.</p><p>Varian had been buried here, right at this spot. He would be close to the home he never made it back to, closer to him and Ruddiger, get a bit more sunlight than when he was locking himself up in his lab…</p><p>Tears fell on the soft grass, Quirin hanging his head down in shame. What kind of father had he been?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Dad! Wanna come see my latest invention?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I’m busy son, another time perhaps”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Being the leader of Old Corona meant he was always busy. Cleaning up his son’s messes had only added to that workload.</p><p>Yet…he hadn’t made time for Varian. Hadn’t tried to connect with him or learn about his interests.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Are you going to the castle today?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yes, I have been called by the King to report on our recent harvest”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh, t-then can I come with you?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“…Perhaps another time son, when you are older”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>He had pushed away him so many times, always using the “child” excuse. Work, work, work. Had it been really all that had been on his mind?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Dad! We have to do something about those rocks!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I know Varian, but there is more to them than you can possibly imagine!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Then why won’t you tell me?”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>…Why hadn’t he? He didn’t want Varian near the rocks because of his experiences in his old Kingdom. But was that really all it was?</p><p>He had kept on with his regular routine, ignoring the damages until it became impossible. Or until he found his son meddling with them.</p><p>Saying he had been terrified for Varian, hidden under the anger of learning the boy was going behind his back, would be a grave understatement. Yet that’s all he had shown him hadn’t it?</p><p>Disappointment, anger, exasperation.</p><p>Varian had tried so hard to make his father look at him through his inventions that he had never considered it a plea for affection.</p><p>“I’m so sorry Son…I’m so sorry”, he sadly whispered as he looked at the small headstone with tears freely flowing.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Here lies Varian, loving son and alchemist</em> </strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>“Quirin, a few villagers have some concerns”</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“Surely you have noticed it no? The first snow is coming earlier this year. It’s going to ruin our harvest!”</p><p>“…Give me a day to think about our options”, he said with a sigh and went back to his field work. He had noticed the sudden frost over the pumpkins as well, but decided to say nothing about it. Things have been tense with everyone else since his son’s burial.</p><p>He hated the snow now.</p><p>The man sighed while removing more frost from the crops. Great, it now seemed like the ground was freezing over as well. Perhaps they would need to harvest early this year to avoid a net loss.</p><p>What in the world was causing this? Snow never showed up this early in Corona. It was a land of sunlight after all, unlike the barren lands of his old home.</p><p>Quirin shook his head and kept working, shivering at times. He’d been used to colder climates in the Dark Kingdom, but still. He used his plow to remove more ice on the ground, giving a sigh while looking around at the amount of work needed to do.</p><p>The same feeling of time stopping reappeared and his thoughts came to a halt as soon as his eyes landed on him. A lone figure was crouched on the ground near the cabbages that were frosted over further ahead, ice forming around them and expanding. The white hair was new, but he’d recognize that streak and those clothes everywhere.</p><p>“…Varian…?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Promise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Who is the strange pale child and why does he look almost identical to his deceased son?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He turned away and rubbed his eyes. This had to be some form of mirage from his grief and he quickly looked to the majestic apple tree near his home. His son was…</p>
<p>Quirin sighed, rubbed his eyes again and slowly opened them back to the cabbages; part of him was scared. But the boy was gone, despite the ice remaining. He raised an eyebrow and he was relieved in a way. Any more disappointment-</p>
<p>The sound of crackling ice attracted his gaze to a nearby tree and the knight’s eyes widened.</p>
<p>There he was again, sitting at the base of the tree and looking into the distance with a somewhat vacant expression. The boy held in one of his hands a staff of wood and his clothes seemed to be frosted over in some places. Now that Quirin took a good look at him, his eyes shone a blue similar to the crystals on the staff (the streak mimicking the colour) and his face was ghostly <em>pale</em>, almost as white as the snow that materialized around him.</p>
<p>“You’re going crazy”, he muttered, “You buried him yourself…”</p>
<p>“Varian” suddenly got up and started walking elsewhere without a care in the world, his footsteps leaving expanding ice and a colder climate around them.</p>
<p>The plow fell to the ground and Quirin ran towards the ghostly manifestation, driven solely by the instinct of a parent desperate to see his child again.</p>
<p>“Varian! Wait!”</p>
<p>Those words went unheard and the boy kept walking. The man ignored the stinging cold and stopped in front of his son. That didn’t deter the spirit as Varian phased through him entirely, leaving a stabbing freezing sensation spreading throughout his body. He could see ice start to form on his own clothes and fell to one knee while clutching his chest.</p>
<p>Quirin quickly turned his head around and gasped.</p>
<p>His son was now facing him and staring with utter confusion in his features. Almost as if something that just happened shouldn’t have. Neither moved, until Varian looked behind him and back. This was the first time since the terrible blizzard that he’d heard his son’s voice, however distorted it sounded now.</p>
<p>“<strong>Can you…see me?</strong>”</p>
<p>See him? Couldn’t everyone else…?</p>
<p>“Y-Yes? Varian-“</p>
<p>“<strong>Odd, humans aren’t supposed to see me at this time of year. And how do you know my name?</strong>”</p>
<p>He could only stare with mouth agape, in total disbelief over the words just spoken to him. What did he mean time of year? His heart sank at the question that followed those words. O-Of course he knew his own son’s name!</p>
<p>“I- Varian I’m you father, don’t you remember?”</p>
<p>The boy squinted and kept staring for a few moments, then shook his head, sending a spike of sadness in Quirin’s gut.</p>
<p>“<strong>No, that’s not possible. You’re human and the Wind is my family</strong>”</p>
<p>Hope was once again shattered, the universe deeming fit to torture the old Brotherhood member for a bit longer.</p>
<p>“…What…?”, he gasped out.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The wind howled and he could hear its chiding words. Despite it still being late autumn (and he got some glares from the other seasonal spirits for it), he had come early. Something about this place made him want to stay. Stay and never leave.</p>
<p>But he could not. As soon as the first flowers of spring would bloom, other spirits would come and he would go away, following the wind to the North.</p>
<p>It’s how it had always been since he awoke.</p>
<p>Old Corona was nice and he was curious at the various vegetables whose leaves sprouted out of the ground. The vast fields made him feel happy somehow, and he curiously observed every inch of the village, taking it all in. Villagers were caring for crops, merchants were loudly advertising their products, children not looking older than himself were playing with balls and toys. Not one has seen him despite walking in plain view.</p>
<p>Humans were fascinating to a certain degree.</p>
<p>…But then someone did notice him. An older man, that worked by his lonesome self away from the others. Something about him was familiar and he found himself sticking near the fields he worked in more often. Almost as if he needed to make sure that man would be okay. Why was he feeling that way?</p>
<p>
  <em>Varian</em>
</p>
<p>He had called him by his name, the name the Wind had whispered to him when he first woke up. A name no one else should know about, least of all a human.</p>
<p>And now that man could not only see him, but also kept repeating that he was his father. But he would remember such an important person in his life right?</p>
<p>
  <em>His head slightly pounded with a small spike of cold at the attempt of remembering anything</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“P-Please believe me, son”, the man reached out with a hand, only for it to phase through his shoulder. His voice sounded so broken…</p>
<p>“<strong>…I’m sorry, Sir. You must have mistaken me for someone else, I’m merely the Winter spirit</strong>”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Those words seem to have deeply hurt the human and he started to silently sob, his head lowering and tears falling to the ground, immediately freezing upon contact. Now Varian felt guilt at his words, but surely he shouldn’t be to blame for someone else’s delusions right?</p>
<p>What should he do? Part of him wanted to leave (the Wind approving of that choice), but…</p>
<p>Part of him also wanted to stay. He’d been lonely and now finally had someone else to talk to. A hard decision for sure but, somehow, the heart knew how to compromise. He tilted his head and asked him:</p>
<p>“<strong>…What is your name?</strong>”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The man’s head snapped up and looked at him with wide eyes, confused by the sudden question. After some time, he finally answered:</p>
<p>“…Quirin. My name is Quirin”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The spirit beamed at the answer, but the Wind cut the conversation short and howled back in his ear.</p>
<p>
  <em>You should not be here yet, come up North</em>
</p>
<p>Quirin noticed the boy’s sudden sad expression, right after he’d smiled upon learning his name.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“<strong>I have to go, but I’ll come back once the snowflakes fall. It’s nice to finally have someone to talk to, it gets lonely sometimes you know?</strong>”</p>
<p>“…Then I’ll be waiting”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quirin bravely put up his best smile and Varian did the same, before a sudden gust of wind blew and he partially shielded his eyes with his hand. He saw his son wave him goodbye as his body dissolved into small white snowflakes that were carried away.</p>
<p>He watched them move towards the North, and gave a broken sigh as the façade earlier fell. This was too much to take in.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Varian dead</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Snow that shouldn’t be here</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Varian somehow alive</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Varian having no memories</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Quirin looked once more at the tall tree near his home and decides to walk to it. Questions and theories were rushing his mind, threatening to overheat it. It all seemed impossible, and he would surely be called a madman if he told anyone about this.</p>
<p>Once arrived there, he knelt down in front of the headstone and wiped away the leaves and dirt on it. He could confirm his son was…no longer alive, the one he just met had called himself a Winter Spirit, and it acted as so; Quirin clutched his chest at the recent memory of Varian phasing through him as if he were nothing. The spirit had no memories and talked of “the Wind”.</p>
<p>All mysteries surrounding him, without any clear answer.</p>
<p>But then he slowly smiled, feeling something warm in his heart, a feeling he thought he’d never have again.</p>
<p>
  <em>I’ll come back when the snowflakes fall!</em>
</p>
<p>Hope.</p>
<p>Perhaps…just perhaps, he could make Varian remember. Spirit or no, his son would always be his son; would always be the curious boy that wanted to learn about everything.</p>
<p>Maybe then, they could both find some peace from the consequences of that terrible blizzard and mend their broken relationship as father and son.</p>
<p>Quirin slowly got up and looked towards the northern chain of mountains, while wiping away the tears on his face.</p>
<p>He would wait.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And that is the end of the "one-shot"!</p>
<p>Hope you guys all enjoyed it!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Winter has come to Old Corona.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first snowfall finally came after one late, and partially ruined, autumn harvest. But no one came. Quirin always kept an eye out, ever hopeful yet also terrified that it had all been a fever dream after all.</p>
<p>Today was simply another snowy day, the flakes gracefully falling from the cloudy grey sky in a gentle swinging motion. The village leader sat in his armchair with a sleeping Ruddiger on his lap, looking outside the window with a sigh. He desperately pleaded to whatever god that he had not imagined his son that day; he didn't know how much longer he could take the dreadful silence of the big, empty house. Why had he even stayed in Corona? There was nothing left for him here, not anymore...</p>
<p>The grandfather clock chimed as One in the afternoon hit, signifying that it was time to return to work. There may not be any farming jobs available in winter, but he still had more than enough work with his daily rounds around the village. Whether it was to fulfill his duty as leader and see if anyone needed help or to distract himself from the loneliness, he didn't know. Quirin patted Ruddiger, waking up the small critter who jumped off, and made his way to the door. After putting on some warmer clothes, he looked back to the living room and, with a sigh after wiping the unshed tears in his eyes, headed outside and closed the door, locking the empty house and his heart in darkness.</p>
<hr/>
<p>“We’re fine here Quirin, no need to worry about us!”</p>
<p>“Very well, I’ll head to Carlos’ place next then. Good day”, he said as he started walking away, but was promptly stopped by the woman walking in front of him and blocking his path.</p>
<p>“…Actually, I wanted to talk. Are you…okay? Everyone’s worried about you taking on too much-“</p>
<p>“Please, Anise, I’m fine. I just…I-I need to do some work to get my mind off of…”, he couldn’t even finish his sentence as he looked to the leafless apple tree near his home.</p>
<p>“Quirin please, George said he saw you talking to yourself a few months ago and run as if you saw something that wasn’t there. I highly recommend you take some time to…grieve. We’re all simply worried about you”</p>
<p>It was true that he was a stubborn man, wanting to work instead of taking needed time off. He had done the same when…when his loving wife had died. But no, standing around and just…waiting wasn’t in his nature. And so he shook his head and bid Anise goodbye, continuing his routine.</p>
<p>The snowflakes kept falling.</p>
<hr/>
<p>The small tombstone was wiped clean every day, with the snow piling up on its sides. Quirin merely placed a hand on the cold stone and closed his eyes, letting himself drown in his memories. A happier time when he had a small family. He had taken it all for granted, foolishly believing things would stay that way forever.</p>
<p>He remembers meeting his loving wife on a late summer festival, dancing until they couldn’t stand any longer.</p>
<p>He remembers the sheer joy he felt when they got married and moved into the big castle, with her redecorating the rooms with cozy furniture.</p>
<p>He remembers when she announced she was pregnant, the exhilaration yet sheer fear about having a child. Would he be a good father? Was he ready for this? Despite her insistence that he was, his doubts stuck around like a cloud above his head.</p>
<p>Then a little life was born inside the house, to the joy of both new parents. Quirin couldn’t help but shed a few tears upon looking at the face of his newborn son, whom they named Varian. A young boy that kept smiling no matter what, always filled with so much energy to explore and learn. A shining drop of moonlight in an old knight’s life.</p>
<p>But then…he remembers his wife becoming deathly ill and passing away not too long after their son reached 5 years of age. The chasm between himself and Varian had only grown deeper as he took refuge in his work to avoid grief, leaving the little boy to take refuge in his mother’s work, alchemy.</p>
<p>He remembers their father-son relationship growing distant and strained over the years.</p>
<p>He felt cold.</p>
<p>Quirin gently stroked the tombstone once more, tears freely falling as he let out choked sobs.</p>
<p>He remembers their fight before becoming encased in an orange prison. When he woke up again, he looked everywhere for Varian, desperately wanting to apologize and come clean about his past.</p>
<p>Only to learn later his son had perished in the storm, his searing anger turned towards the Kingdom of the Sun.</p>
<p>His body felt numb, both from the emotion and the fast lowering temperature around him.</p>
<hr/>
<p>A sudden poke to his back snapped him out of memory lane and Quirin quickly turned around. His eyes widened and he couldn’t help but give a small smile, his heart lightened just a bit. The Winter Spirit had come back, as promised all those months ago.</p>
<p>“Are you alright, Sir? You seem sad…”</p>
<p>Varian looked the same as the last time he saw him: shimmering white hair, frosted winter clothes and holding a wooden staff with glittering crystals Quirin could only guess had been used as a poking stick just now. It hadn’t been a dream, his son was truly still here!</p>
<p>He quickly wiped his tears.</p>
<p>“I was worried you wouldn’t come back”</p>
<p>He saw Varian shuffled a bit to the side, looking mildly embarrassed.</p>
<p>“Oh, I apologize. The Autumn Spirits wanted to stick around a bit longer and I had to chase them off. They weren’t happy with me”, the spirit said with a chuckle before turning his attention to the headstone. He raised an eyebrow at the name engraved.</p>
<p>
  <em>Varian</em>
</p>
<p>Why was his name on there-?</p>
<p>“<em>Coincidence. Nothing more Young One</em>”, he heard the Wind whisper in his ear and decided to heed its word, instead turning his attention to the tall man with a smile.</p>
<p>“So anyway, here I am! …Now what?”</p>
<p>“Well, what do you usually do when Winter is here?”, Quirin said as he wiped the last of his tears.</p>
<p>“I…don’t know, truthfully. This is my first winter in Corona. It’s very peaceful here and I enjoy it!”, the boy said with a smile.</p>
<p>Quirin however raised an eyebrow at those words. Varian’s “First Winter” would fit with the time frame of that terrible snowstorm, but it also confirmed to him even further that there was indeed memory loss. But he chose to hope and, perhaps, Varian would remember if he stuck around.</p>
<p>Then they could be a family again, rewind time and fix their relationship as father and son.</p>
<p>Fix his mistake of pushing him away until it was too late.</p>
<p>“What do you want to do then?”</p>
<p>The snow child took on a thoughtful expression. So much to do, but maybe he should take it easy for the first few days.</p>
<p>“I still don’t know what exactly it is I <em>do</em> while bringing Winter. Just hang around I suppose?”</p>
<p>“Then why not a tour of Corona? It would be good to know the lay of the land if you’re to stay”</p>
<p>Varian gave a buck-toothed smile and nodded in approval, despite sensing some tension from the Wind. Quirin started walking towards the town square, with the spirit following right behind and taking in every sight.</p>
<p>The former knight desperately clung to the hope that showing his son around the village would trigger some memories.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry for the late post! Took forever to try and get a decent enough chapter for this. Hope you all enjoy!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Village near the Wall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Why is Wind so intent on keeping Varian away? And why doesn't Quirin feel the cold piercing his bones?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Quietly sneaking around the village was Ruddiger. The chubby raccoon was watching over the man taking care of him with a worried look. Nothing was the same since the orange rock happened and his boy…</p><p>Ruddiger rubbed his eyes frantically when spotting who was walking next to the tall man. It…It was impossible!</p><p>His boy, friend and partner-in-crime was standing there, without a care in the world, as if nothing bad had happened!</p><p>But the critter could sense something was off. It wasn’t just the white hair and pale features, but he felt…wrong. Whoever was there next to his caretaker wasn’t his boy, it didn’t even feel human! His fur stood on ends, utterly confused and concerned. Should he do something? Should he investigate more this familiar stranger?</p><p>Then Ruddiger saw his caretaker’s smiling face and his heart sank. He looked so happy, the happiest he’s been in months ever since the horrible blizzard.</p><p> …Should he even intervene? The odd spirit didn’t seem to be doing any harm after all…</p><p>A windy chill picked up within the small village, Ruddiger’s thoughts driving him once more towards spying on the impostor.</p><p>And so he trotted over to his caretaker.</p>
<hr/><p>“Oh, Ruddiger, there you are!”, Quirin happily said as he watched the familiar raccoon trot over and climb on his shoulders. However the critter didn’t seem pleased, his ears were pinned back.</p><p>“Woah! Is this you raccoon Sir? He looks adorable!”, Varian happily said while approaching a hand to pet it, but retracted it quickly when the pet slightly growled at him. Quirin frowned; Ruddiger was usually so friendly around Varian, so why would he act that way?</p><p>“Ruddiger, it’s only Varian. Don’t you remember?”</p><p>The raccoon only looked at him and stared back at the spirit with a low growl, as if warning the boy not to approach any closer.</p><p>“I don’t think your pet likes me”, Varian said with a saddened expression.</p><p>“I’m sorry Varian, he doesn’t usually act like this around people. How about we continue our tour then?”</p><p>“Sure! Where to next?”</p><p>As they chatted on and on, Ruddiger tried his best to stay warm. It was colder around the supernatural impostor for certain and the raccoon didn’t like it one bit. Why wasn’t his caretaker affected? Surely being outside for so long would’ve frozen him like a statue!</p><p>As the critter curled himself tighter on Quirin’s shoulders, he failed to notice the slightly glowing mark on the man’s left hand.</p>
<hr/><p>“And this is the apothecary. They sell all sorts of medicine, as well as some glass beakers and vials since the glassblower lives here too”</p><p>“Interesting! But how do you get the needed herbs under the snow?”</p><p>“Well, Joanne usually dries them for future uses. It’s not as potent as fresh herbs, but it can be stored for much longer”</p><p>Varian made a noise of surprise. If herbs could be dried, then flowers could be dried as well! That way he could enjoy them himself without having to rely on Spring and Summer spirits’ testimonies!</p><p>Quirin meanwhile looked at the young teen with a slight frown. This store should’ve made Varian remember for sure, he had been a regular customer here after all since he was five. Often he would hear from Eric, Joanne’s husband, about his son’s purchases.</p><p>
  <em>“Careful now Quirin, Varian came in today to buy some extra beakers. I predict something might explode again soon!”, he had said with a laugh. </em>
</p><p>He felt Ruddiger move on his shoulders and the raccoon gave a big sneeze, stopping all conversation. The critter looked at him before sneezing again, making the man realize that he would need to get Ruddiger somewhere warm so the poor raccoon doesn’t freeze any more.</p><p>“Is he okay?”, the Winter spirit said.</p><p>“He simply needs to get somewhere warm. I’ll bring him home and I can guarantee you Ruddiger will find comfort in a few of the blankets laying around”, Quirin gave a small chuckle.</p><p>Then his mind paused for a second. If the apothecary didn’t make Varian regain any memories, then perhaps Home would. The place his son had lived for his entire life.</p><p>
  <em>But not this new life, his mind supplied. Quirin chose to ignore those thoughts.</em>
</p><p>“Actually, why don’t we take a small break from this tour? Ruddiger will get a bit of warmth and we can get something to eat”</p><p>
  <em>“D o n ’t  g o  t h e r e  Y o u n g  O n e , y o u  h a v e  m a n y  t a s k s  a h e a d  o f   y o u ”, the Wind whispered. </em>
</p><p>He wanted to follow Wind’s advice; it had always guided him after all. But part of him also wanted to learn more about Quirin and Old Corona. They were so familiar to him, but he couldn’t pinpoint from where. He felt happy here and just didn’t want to leave yet. Varian wanted to learn more!</p><p>So he smiled and nodded, following Quirin back to a lonely castle near the giant wall. It looked like it could use quite a few repairs, but looked impressive, nonetheless.</p>
<hr/><p>Unbeknownst to both, one of the villagers was spying from around the corner of one of the shops. His eyes widened in fear as soon as they landed on the spirit of a supposedly dead child and he quickly ran back to his home.</p><p>He needed to tell everyone about this.</p>
<hr/><p>In front of the castle’s stone walls stood a small wooden house he could only hypothesize was the entrance. The spirit spoke up in an excited voice, as if he were a young kid again:</p><p>“Woah! This is your house? It looks so spacious! I’m surprised you live here on your own!”</p><p>Quirin flinched at the last of those words. At how <em>true</em> they rang; he <em>had</em> been living on his own (with Ruddiger, a living remnant of his son) all alone in this big, empty castle.</p><p>“There used to be more people around”</p><p>“Oh, like the name on the tombstone?”</p><p>“…Yes. My family lived here once. Come”, he said with a saddened smile as he opened the door. The spirit didn’t notice it and entered the small house.</p>
<hr/><p>Despite its harsh exterior, the inside was rather cozy. It had a somewhat rustic look to it that was quite charming.</p><p>To Varian however, he felt his heart warm up as he looked around. The familiar feeling came rushing back stronger than before.</p><p>
  <em>As well as a feeling of pure dread and terror. But why?</em>
</p><p>“Varian?”</p><p>The boy turned around and saw Quirin holding two steaming hot mugs, placing them on a table in what appeared to be the kitchen, before sitting down. The spirit went to sit down as well, narrowly avoiding the raccoon that jumped off of the man’s shoulders and zigzagged around his legs to rush towards a small armchair covered in blankets. The poor thing was shivering and dug itself deeper in the soft-looking cloth.</p><p>
  <em>“A w a y”</em>
</p><p>Varian ignored it and happily took one of the mugs Quirin had placed down, but sighed in disappointment as he turned the mug upside down, shook it, and a block of brownish ice fell on the table with a clang. He tried laughing it off.</p><p>“Right, I forgot about that. Sorry Sir”</p><p>“Hot cocoa can always be replenished Varian, no worries”</p><p>Though now that he thought about it…<br/>
Quirin looked around. The walls, floors and furniture were starting to become frosted in ice. He hadn’t even noticed his own visible breath, too busy focusing on his son in front of him instead. But that begged the odd question:</p><p>
  <em>Why didn’t he feel cold?</em>
</p><p>“Perhaps I can still enjoy it as a dessert! Do you have any ice breakers of sorts?”, Varian’s voice pushed down any thoughts he had and he nodded with a smile. Quirin got up and walked to the drawer where the utensils were kept.</p><p>If he could only drown out any rational thought and simply…enjoy the company of his son again. Even if it wasn’t normal, why couldn’t he just believe it was? It was delusional for sure but…</p><p>A sudden strong burst of sharp cold wind opened the small window nearby with a bang. Quirin shielded his face and quickly turned around to Varian.</p><p>But his son was gone, leaving nothing but small snowflakes where he once was.</p><p>
  <em>“A W A Y !”</em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>*screaming*<br/>You guys, go check out An_ah's work! It's amazing! https://archiveofourown.org/works/25975864</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Island</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Wind keeps its goal to itself and an old blacksmith sees a ghost.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The waves of the Island were calm and the shore peaceful. There were a few huge ships docked and a fisherman casting his line over the bridge in hopes of catching his daily diner. The old man raised an eyebrow when a sudden sharp gust of wind twirled around nearby with snowflakes forming a small tornado of frost. They accumulated and merged with each other until they formed the body of a young boy with snowy white hair. He let out a shocked gasp at the mysterious, and fuming, teen. But Varian didn’t even notice him, too focused on something else.</p><p>“Wind! Why?!”, the spirit screamed in pure anger. It had been fun and he was comfortable in that house!</p><p>Snowflakes aggressively swirled around him and black ice spread under his feet. Their lone witness quickly got to his feet and ran away.</p><p>
  <em>”I  n e e d e d  t o  g e t  y o u  a w a y. Q u i r i n  i s  b a d”</em>
</p><p>“No he’s not! He was being nice and teaching me about the humans of a small village I bring Winter to!”</p><p>
  <em>“. . .  P l e a s e,  t r u s t  m e  Y o u n g  O n e”</em>
</p><p>“Then why not <em>tell</em> me why Mr. Quirin is bad? He was nothing but nice! He gave me hot cocoa!”</p><p>
  <em>“. . . Y o u  h a v e  f o r g o t t e n  w h a t  y o u  a r e,  V a r i a n.  Y o u  a r e  g e t t i n g  a t t a c h e d-” </em>
</p><p>“What do you mean by that?!”</p><p>
  <em>“…T i m e…”</em>
</p><p>He completely froze at that one simple word and the snowflakes hung still in the air. Time, the natural force that hovered over every living being as the Great Equalizer alongside Death.</p><p>But he wasn’t alive, being forever separated from that force. Unlike humans.</p><p>“…B-But that doesn’t mean that I can’t interact-“</p><p>
  <em>“V a r i a n. . .”</em>
</p><p>A small gust of wind tenderly stroked his cheek and pushed away the small frozen tears that fell to the ground in small clinks. Then a freezing sensation washed over him, a sudden temperature that far exceeded the sub-zero and the boy gripped his head with scrunched eyes.</p><p>He was Winter, but this was deeper than Winter. He felt paralyzed, with his head throbbing. Something within his mind was slipping away from him and he desperately tried to hold on to it.</p><p>
  <em>“L e t  g o. . . ”</em>
</p><p> Let go?</p><p>…Let go of what? The boy furiously shook his head and wiped his eyes before his body dissolved into snowflakes once more and quickly flew in the direction of a giant castle, out of Wind’s gentle yet cold reach.</p><hr/><p>Passersby looked in confusion at the sudden snow blowing throughout the stone streets of Corona Island. Ice formed on the ground and snowflakes piled up everywhere; quite a few Coronans were upset and tried hard to not slip (which was easier to say than do).</p><p>Xavier was in his forge carefully holding a cup of tea in his hands. He looked sorrowfully as the snowflakes fell right outside his window (and saw two guards fall flat on their faces because of how slippery the ground was). Closing his eyes, he remembered last year’s horrible storm.</p><p><em>“Zhan Tiri’s Curse”</em>, he had called it then. From the legends he had studied, everything had fit the description of the warlock’s curse perfectly. While preparing to evacuate, he remembers seeing Quirin’s boy run by, looking somewhat ragged and in clear panic.</p><p>Oh how he should’ve done something then. He will forever regret simply standing by as the young boy ran back into the brutal blizzard. The old blacksmith knew Varian well from the villagers’ ramblings, knew how resilient and stubborn the boy was – he would’ve gone even if someone had tried to stop him.</p><p>His heart had sunk when news of the young teen’s passing reached his ears. Despite his old bones, the blacksmith had traveled all the way to Old Corona for the service and to give his condolences to a now-freed Quirin.</p><p>That day, he saw no man but a soulless husk. The light in his eyes had all but been extinguished and he did not respond to anyone speaking to him, simply staring at the name forever engraved in the cold stone.</p><p>Xavier took a sip of his tea and gave a saddened sigh at the memory. How tragic that such a good man lost everything he held dear…</p><p>He looked back outside, to where reminders of the blizzard fluttered about, and raised an eyebrow when some of the frost began moving around in a rather unusual way. It was twirling around and around, quickly forming a small white tornado.</p><p>The blacksmith thought for sure his heart stopped and almost dropped his teacup, as the snowflakes turned into <em>someone</em>. Someone he recognized.</p><p>The small tornado dispersed and revealed the deceased Wizard of Old Corona, still wearing the same clothes as that terrible day, although he did look physically different.</p><p><em>“A ghost…?”</em>, he thought bewildered. Varian however simply looked around with wide (and somewhat teary) eyes full of wonder and started walking to the castle. Ice formed under his every step, snow fell all around him, piling up on the ground and the temperature dropped with his every visible breath.</p><p>As he watched the young teen walk away, a shocked Xavier placed a hand on his chin in deep thought.</p><p>“Is it possible…that there is more to Zhan Tiri’s Curse? Perhaps it is time to dust those old tomes once more…”, he said as he got up and walked to the back room. Looking for answers could maybe bring peace to his aching heart.</p><hr/><p>“You must use your anger to control the rocks, Cassandra, nothing else matters”</p><p>The former Lady-in-Waiting let out a frustrated grunt at yet another failure to properly make the black rocks do as she commanded and walked away in a huff, the young ghost simply shrugging with a disappointed stare. Surely that woman had more anger inside of her to extract – she had found so much of it when they first met.</p><p>And time was short before the Eclipse.</p><p>A snowflake falling to the ground made her look to the sky, a devilish grin forming on her face while watching more and more snow fall to the ground. She never expected a new one so soon. The young girl reached out a hand, seeing the small doings of Winter phasing through it.</p><p>“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Am I adding yet more elements to the story that will bite me in the butt later? You betcha I am! :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A storm is coming...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The palace was in a confused panic. Ice and snow were somehow creeping inside the hallways and warmth was fast dropping. All fireplaces were roaring to life and offering some comfort against the frost, with staff taking care to avoid slipping. Guards were running around with snow shovels in hand and making a safer pathway while Rapunzel and Eugene were giving out some warmer coats (while the man also kept an eye on his former partner eyeing some fabulous jewelry nearby).</p><p>“Where did all this snow come from? It never came inside the castle before!”<br/>“I don’t know! Winter was foreseen as mild this year!”</p><p>The maids were busy gossiping and coming up with all sorts of theories while Eugene looked with a frown. If there was one thing that annoyed him since he started living inside the castle it was the spreading of rumors. The ex-thief gave a huff and glanced to the side. Rapunzel was standing in front of the window, looking sorrowfully outside. But he knew what was on her mind. It had been on his own if he was honest.</p><p>“Hey Blondie, you okay?”, Eugene said while approaching; he put a hand on her shoulder and she visibly flinched. His sunshine was on the verge of tears and started hugging herself close, under the sad croaks of Pascal.</p><p>“I…I can’t stop thinking about…a-about <em>him</em>, Eugene. All this snow only makes me remember what I <em>did</em>. To a supposed friend…”</p><p>“You couldn’t have known Rapunzel-“</p><p>“That doesn’t excuse it! I-I chose to blindly believe my dad’s tells about the black rocks and lock myself away from my responsibilities as the Princess of Corona”</p><p> </p><p>She took a few steps towards the door, away from Eugene.</p><p> </p><p>“I had promised to help him…but now I can’t keep that promise anymore…”</p><p> </p><p>And with those words she ran outside the room, ignoring the calls of her boyfriend.</p><hr/><p>“Ugh, of all the times for <em>this</em> to happen”, a nosy voice sounded throughout the easternmost hallway. The King’s advisor was trying to traverse the icy ground, failing miserably and falling forward.</p><p>“Of all the years I’ve been in service of this place-“</p><p>A sudden breeze sent shivers down his spine and he got back to his feet, brushing off the ice stuck to his fancy clothes with a frown. Nigel raised an eyebrow when he looked at the wall at the end of the hallway. An odd display as ice crawled unto the painting frames and snowflakes started falling from the ceiling despite there not being any clouds. The advisor could feel the temperature around him drop and see his own breath.</p><p>More and more ice appeared, until a familiar figure entered the scene, eyes filled with wonder as if he were simply exploring a fun place. Nigel froze and quickly took a step back, eyes wide in pure shock. It was impossible!</p><p>He quickly ran towards the throne room; he needed to inform the King!</p><hr/><p>“It seems this mysterious storm penetrated through half of the castle. Guards have already removed the ice and snow found in about 5 rooms, including the southwest hallway. However my men are getting exhausted, your Majesty, and it might be in everyone’s best interest to leave the castle until it’s under control”</p><p>Frederick placed a hand to his chin, in deep thought. First last year’s storm and now this, what was going on?</p><p> </p><p>The grand doors suddenly burst open and his advisor rushed in, looking panicked, white as a sheet, and almost tripping over his own feet.</p><p>“Y-Y-Your M-Majesty!”</p><p>“Nigel! What’s the matter, you look pale as a-“</p><p>“G-G-Ghost! In the eastern hall!”</p><p>“Great, another one losing their mind”, the Captain interjected with rolling eyes.</p><p>“Now, Captain-“</p><p> </p><p>The advisor ignored the comment and focused on the King.</p><p> </p><p>“Quirin’s boy! He’s the one causing this frost! He must be after revenge!”</p><p>“Rapunzel-!”, the King gasped in shock before rushing towards the door. He had to protect his daughter!</p><hr/><p>Varian never knew castles would be so spacious! He got lost quite a few times, it’s numerous halls looking almost the exact same. But exploration was part of the fun!</p><p>One hall was filled with numerous portraits showing people with crowns. King and Queens of this place perhaps? It would be fun to meet them! The spirit kept walking, bringing winter to the indoors of the stronghold.</p><p>…He couldn’t hear Wind anymore either. He wondered if it was alright, he’d never been separated from it before. For some reason, within this place, he was on his own for the first time since waking up.</p><p><em>“That’s alright”, </em>he thought<em>, “Everyone needs a bit of independence every now and then”</em></p><p>However he couldn’t help but feel somewhat saddened. He hadn’t left Wind on the best of terms last time.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“<strong>So…cold…Help</strong>”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Varian blinked the odd memory away and pressed on. Wind was kind, surely they would be on good terms again!</p><p>His head was starting to hurt.</p><hr/><p>Of all the times she was asked to wear shoes, this was the only time she accepted without a fuss. The floor was freezing cold and she could see her breath.</p><p>But she couldn’t stay there. She needed to clear her mind, even if the snow all around her served as a reminder of her short time as Queen.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>“You promised!”</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>She put her back to the wall and let herself fall to the ground. It hurt so much, knowing that she could never make it to the young boy that came to her for help that fateful day. She hugged her knees close and buried her face, sobbing fresh tears for her failure and mistake. She had freed a childless father into an uncaring world. Had it even been the right thing to do? She didn’t know anymore…her life in that tower never prepared her for this, nor her short life in the castle. A new wave of tears fell; this was a mess she couldn’t fix no matter how much she wanted to…</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you alright?”</p><p>Rapunzel flinched. That voice…it c-couldn’t be…</p><p>She slowly looked up and before her was a young boy, no older than fourteen surely, in winter clothes holding a staff, with snow white hair offering a single streak of blue. He looked at her worriedly, with baby blue eyes.</p><p>…What had happened to him?</p><p>“…V-Varian…?”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Chapters might take longer to write because school started, but I'm not planning on ditching this anytime soon don't worry!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Curse</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The ice shatters as memories from the harsh past kept away come back.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He shouldn’t be able to freeze time, it wasn’t inside the range of his powers. It was a universal law, even outside the reaches of Wind who, as one of the primal elementals of the world, was still bound to it somehow.</p><p>Then why did it feel like time stopped here and there?</p><p>Varian had only asked a simple question, having walked to the young woman crying in worry and sympathy. She was currently looking at him with shocked eyes, as if seeing a ghost or something that <em>shouldn’t</em> be here.</p><p>“Varian, is that you?”</p><p>That’s odd, she’s the second human to know his name without introductions. What was going on?</p><p>“Yes? How do you know-“</p><p>He hadn’t even had the time to finish his sentence when she practically threw herself at him with a tight hug, sobbing ever louder.</p><p>“I-I’m so s-sorry V-Varian! I had no c-choice but to break my promise a-and-“</p><p>“What are you talking about?”</p><p>Rapunzel broke the hug and looked at him with a raised eyebrow and tear-filled eyes. The boy was clearly confused, but continued anyway.</p><p>“I believe this is the first time we’ve met, yet you already know my name, same as that other human”, he brought a hand to his chin, pensive. The deep freeze sensation from before was starting to hurt his head the longer he looked at her for some reason.</p><p>Rapunzel stared blankly at her friend. Her supposedly dead friend. Varian was here, right in front of her! Yet despite this, something about him felt…off. The white hair and memory loss were sure indicators of it.</p><p>…What now? What <em>could</em> she even do?</p><p>
  <em>“Sometimes it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie” </em>
</p><p>Eugene had said that to her once, but she looked again at the confused baby blue eyes in front of her.</p><p>Wasn’t it running away from her responsibilities then? She needed to come clean, apologize and make it up to him, even to simply lay his spirit to rest. She’d even admit that part of her wanted to be a better friend to the young alchemist. A better friend than the one whose orders as Queen threw him outside to…<em>die</em> tragically.</p><p>To forget or heal what has been hurt?</p><p>She had that opportunity, that once-in-a-lifetime chance to mend their friendship! To Varian, for some reason, the horrible blizzard never happened. They could start over on a positive note.</p><p>She took it without hesitation and wiped the tears from her eyes.</p><p>“My name is Rapunzel de Sonne”, she said with a fond yet desperate smile, “I’m the princess of Corona”</p><p>For only a short moment after she revealed her name, Varian gave a small grimace and brought a hand to his head. The ice shards on his staff started to slowly crack, unknowingly to both. He soon went back to giving her a buck-toothed grin.</p><p>“Oh! Pleased to meet you Princess!”, the spirit replied with a bow, “I’m sorry about my sudden appearance, but I saw the castle from afar and wanted to explore!”</p><p>“That’s…quite alright. Actually why don’t I show you around? It’s easy to get lost here you know?”</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>crack</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>“That would be appreciated!”</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>crack</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Winter followed after the Princess of the Sun, ignoring the icy stab-like headache that was starting to grow.</p><hr/><p>“Have you found her?!”</p><p>The King was frantic, quickly running in the iced hallways in desperate search for his daughter.</p><p>“Nay Sire, my men are still looking”, the Captain replied.</p><p>“Then double the effort! Who knows what that poltergeist will do if he finds her!”</p><hr/><p>Unbeknownst to everyone else, laughter echoed in one of the northernmost rooms in the castle: Rapunzel’s room.</p><p>“Woah, you painted all of this?”, Varian exclaimed with an impressed smile at the colorful walls of the room. Each brush stroke was visibly present, showcasing the Princess’ skills with paint.</p><p>“Yup! Painting helps me immortalize cherished or important stuff, although I might be running out of paint soon!”, she chuckled.</p><p>The young spirit, meanwhile, took in every bit of the timeless memories: a tower, a man, lights…</p><p><em>A happy family, with a mother and father…<br/></em> <em>A beautiful golden flower, just like her hair…</em></p><p>The stabbing headache intensified even more, but Varian only smiled despite the pain. This wasn’t the time to drown out the happy mood of the room.</p><p>“I see you have had quite the interesting life, your highness”</p><p>Her eyes widened and she stopped smiling, for a moment he could see sadness in her eyes and was about to apologize for whatever misstep he just did.</p><p>“Please…just call me Rapunzel, Varian. No need for the titles”</p><p>Winter raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“But you are the Princess of Corona are you not? Titles are commonplace for someone of your rank”</p><p>“I’d actually prefer if my friends call me by name, without the honorifics”</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>crack</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>“We’re…friends?”</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>crack</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>“Of course we are!”, she quickly blurted out despite looked somewhat…scared?</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>crack</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Why was she scared?</p><p>“I…have a friend? I can’t wait to tell Wind about this”, he grinned. Rapunzel, on the other hand, tilted her head in clear confusion.</p><p>“Wind? Who’s that?”</p><p>Aah, the thousand gold pieces question. How could he explain it to humans who couldn’t hear its words?</p><p>“Wind is…Wind. I’m sorry I can’t explain it better. It simply <em>is</em>, you know?”</p><p>But Varian could see that answer wasn’t satisfactory and he took a couple of minutes to think about explaining it better.</p><p>“Wind is the one overseeing and helping the seasonal spirits around the entire world. It helps me spread the snow and ice over the crunchy fallen leaves of autumn.”</p><p>As her friend looked once more at the paintings on the walls of the room, Rapunzel brought a hand to her chin. Wind? Seasons and spirits? But Varian had….had <em>died</em>, the one before her was his soul, not some grand magical being!</p><p>…Right?</p><hr/><p>Frederick, the Captain and Nigel kept running in the icy hallways to the north. It was getting colder the closer they got to-</p><p>“Rapunzel!”, the King gasped.</p><p>The doors to her bedroom were shut tight, ice taking over the crevasses and keeping them in place. No one was getting in or out.</p><p>“Captain, find your men and bring anything you find to melt this ice!”</p><p>“On it sir!”, the proud man offered a salute before running off, but not before bumping into Eugene who was walking in their general direction.</p><p>“Woah, what’s going on here?”, the thief asked with a raised eyebrow. His voice died in his throat when his eyesight followed where Nigel was pointing. He ran to the door and tried to pry it open, even banging on it while shouting his beloved girlfriend’s name.</p><p>“Rapunzel!”</p><p>“It’s no use, she is a prisoner of that- that <em>thing</em>!”</p><p>Eugene turned around and looked to the King with a determined expression, not even asking what <em>thing</em> he was referring to.</p><p>“Not for long she’s not”</p><hr/><p>“That’s quite a lot of hobbies, Pr- Rapunzel”, Varian gasped as he looked upon the mountain of collectibles and memorabilia tucked away in a corner of the closet. Candles, a puppet (dummy? Which was it?), a guitar, sewing kits…</p><p>It must’ve been quite lonely in that tower for 18 years…</p><p>“Well, you got to keep yourself occupied you know?”</p><p>The spirit kept looking around, until his eyes landed on one particular piece. A drawing on a piece of paper on the wall, made with blackened colors and an awfully familiar face. His headache kept growing, nigh unbearable now. Although he didn’t want to, perhaps it would be best to leave and come back another day-</p><p>
  <strong> <em>“You promised!”</em> </strong>
</p><p>…That memory again? Why now?</p><p>“Who’s that?”, he asked, trying to distract himself from the stabbing, cold pain. Rapunzel’s expression fell and she wouldn’t dare look him in the eyes. He could see the beginning of tears in her eyes.</p><p>“A…good friend of mine. We didn’t see eye-to-eye on something and he…he perished a year ago…”</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>crack</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>“So…cold…help…”</em> </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>crack</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>“I’m…sorry to hear that”, Varian managed to say before suddenly grabbing his head.</p><p>Rapunzel quickly approached but had to take a step back as her finger quickly became numb to the sheer cold emanating from Varian’s body.</p><p>“Varian? What’s wrong?”</p><p>The spirit shook his head and took a step back, ice instantly formed on the wall behind him and under his feet, his tears becoming frozen trails on his face (when did he start to cry?).</p><p>The doors to the room burst open just as Varian screamed in pain.</p><hr/><p>“Rapunzel!”</p><p>“Eugene, Dad?!”, Rapunzel shouted in surprise, “What are you doing here-“</p><p>Her father quickly ran to stand between her and the hurting teen, raising an arm to shield her.</p><p>“Never mind that! Varian’s in pain!-“</p><p>“Who cares about that ghost?!”, Nigel screeched out, cowering behind her boyfriend, “We need to leave before the castle becomes nothing but a freezing tomb!”</p><p>Just as quickly as it came, Varian’s screaming died out.</p><p>The ice crystals on his wooden staff broke into small shimmering explosions. The spirit’s head slowly lifted up and looked at them all, eyes cold as the ice surrounding them.</p><hr/><p>“V-Varian…?”</p><p>“Rapunzel”, his tone dripped with venom despite being eerily calm. He made no move, only staring at the people standing before him.</p><p>“Varian, please, I-I’m sorry-“</p><p>“Oh? The Princess of Corona is apologizing? Now what are you going to do?”, he gestured at himself, the ice on the wall crawling towards the humans hungrily, following the command of his emotions. She tried speaking up but he prevented her from doing so, “This here? How do you plan on fixing this <em>Princess</em>? Unless somehow you still have the magical power to bring back the <em>dead?</em>”</p><p>He emphasized on the last word, gleefully watching her squirm under the harsh weight of it despite her boyfriend holding her close (and he tried not to cry himself at its revelation).</p><p>He was dead. A ghost. This was permanent, he could never come back from this.</p><p>And she caused it all. She broke her promise and sent him to the harsh cold without remorse. He didn’t care how she felt about it. In the end, her feelings didn’t excuse her actions. The King angrily spoke up with a hint of fear in his voice.</p><p>“Now listen here-“</p><p>But something inside Varian finally <em>snapped</em>. He wanted them to suffer betrayal as he had. Wanted them to feel the harsh blizzard he felt. Wanted them to freeze as his body had.</p><p>He felt the hum of pure power inside his soul get bigger and bigger, colder and colder, and raised an arm towards them. The ice tendrils on the walls of the room started to create sharp, subtly glowing spikes, ready to impale, and drove the humans towards the door. The drawing Rapunzel had made of the once young alchemist was shredded and reduced to nothing. More spikes grew and a harsh snowstorm ripped apart the ceiling until the grey sky was all that they could see looking up. The blue stripe in Varian’s snowy white hair glowed in response as his power and voice rapidly spread throughout the land.</p><p>“<strong>Hear me Corona! I, Varian of Old Corona, curse this corrupt land to days of unending blizzards and ice! As the spirit of Winter, I will never leave and nothing will ever live here in these harsh conditions again! Wherever you go I will follow. Mark my word!</strong>”</p><p>Cold spikes suddenly sprouted throughout the island and a blanket of snow covered everything. Citizens screamed and shouted in response to the supernatural events uprooting their lives.</p><p>Rapunzel tried to walk forward, but an impenetrable wall of wind suddenly pushed her back.</p><p>“Varian, please!”, she cried out as she saw the young ghost in front of her walk towards them with pure anger in his cold blue eyes.</p><p>“I WILL HAVE MY REVEN-“</p><p>Winter never had a chance to finish that sentence as a sudden burst of wind suddenly broke open the window and enveloped him in a small tornado. Varian frantically looked around seething before his body suddenly dissolved into small white snowflakes. He screamed as it happened before their eyes.</p><p>“NO! WIND LET ME GO!”</p><p>His demands went unanswered and the twister flew to the sky and towards the mountains, carrying the Winter Spirit with it.</p><hr/><p>Despite…Varian now being gone, the ice stayed. In fact, it seemed to be growing and was threatening the lives of her subjects. It looked even worse than the black rocks, ironically.</p><p>Rapunzel hugged herself close and let out a sob as she crumbled to the ground. Her Kingdom would never see the light of the sun again, and it was her fault. She tried to make amend, somehow, but failed. And now…</p><p>Now Corona was cursed with unending winter.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Phew, this one I could call a double chapter since it's twice the length of regular chapters! School's been busy and motivation drained, but I'm still making time.</p><p>Thank you again for reading and your comments! Really warms a cold heart up!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Plan</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Things are coming together...</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>-Insert Mushu meme- </p><p>My bad for it having taken so long guys! Had no inspiration for this chapter (and I kinda hate it) plus university being hard as heck means I had little motivation to work on it till now.</p><p>Hopefully it's satisfactory and what the heck is going on with Quirin? Why is he acting so...cold?</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The windy currents in the sky carried the snowflakes in its grasp through the harsh blizzard, towards its sacred home in the highest mountain near Corona. At its peak was a small cavern with a pond inside from which you could not see it’s dark bottom. Ice was spreading on the cold hard ground around it, not unlike spring foliage and Wind quickly carried the Winter spirit inside.</p><p>It dumped the snowflakes in the freezing pond, reforming into Varian’s body who clawed at the water as he kept sinking and sinking. His body somehow felt heavier than lead and he was unable to swim back up.</p><p>
  <em>“NO! I need to make them pay!”</em>
</p><p>He kept sinking deeper, approaching the dark abyss and feeling Wind’s presence at the end of the watery tunnel above him.</p><p>
  <em>“I need…I-I n-need…”</em>
</p><p>Deeper and deeper, until the light above was but a pinprick. He was Winter itself…but felt cold, so cold. It seeped through his entire being until hitting his head and he closed his eyes in pain. Things were slipping away - memories were slipping away.</p><p>
  <em>“D…Dad…”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>…Who?</em>
</p><p>Memories he only just regained, fading into pure white as the images vanished. Happy souvenirs of his family, of the harvests, of Old Corona, of alchemy and science…</p><p>Sad memories of the cemetery, of shame felt…</p><p>…Angry memories of betrayals by those close to him.</p><p>All blanked out.</p><p>Winter finally hit the bottom and opened his eyes, no longer their human-like baby blue but crystal white with undertones of teal. The weight finally disappeared from his limbs and he looked up. Something was up there, waiting for him to return – he shouldn’t keep it waiting.</p><p>He slowly lifted himself up and felt his body become lighter, the water twisting and churning around him as ice formed under his feet and brought him towards the surface.</p><p>
  <em>You’re forgetting something…</em>
</p><p>Winter finally broke the pond’s surface, ice coating his near pure white skin. He felt Wind around and frowned. It felt…conflicted somehow, and saddened.</p><p>“<strong>What’s the matter Wind? Worry not, I’m fine! See?</strong>”, he cheerfully said while making snow appears inside the cavern, quickly coating the pond with ice.</p><p>It swayed from side to side, observing him silently for quite some time.</p><p>“<em>Y o u r  p o w e r s  a r e  g r o w i n g,  W i n t e r. Y o u  s h o u l d  s l e e p  n o w,  I </em></p><p><em>w i l l  c a r e  f o r  t h e  s e a s o n</em>”</p><p>He chose not to ask questions. Wind knew all, it couldn’t be wrong! So he simply shrugged and summoned a fresh layer of glittering snow, laying on top of it as he started nodding off to sleep.</p><p>“<em>G o o d n i g h t  Y o u n g  o n e</em>”</p><p>“<strong>…Night</strong>”</p><p>Winter closed his eyes, seemingly unaware of the chaos his powers were causing at the base of the mountain.</p>
<hr/><p>It was a disaster.</p><p>The weather was getting worse every day. Snow was as high as the tallest houses, relentlessly beating down on the doors with an eerie howl. Coronan citizens had taken refuge inside the castle halls, with blankets being distributed and fireplaces roaring to life 24/7. Word of escapees also reached the royal family’s ears, with people taking refuge in other Kingdoms where the sun shone brightly, mostly villagers from agricultural lands.</p><p>The blizzard ripped open rooftops and took away anything not pinned down to the ground. Anything it grabbed flew in a circle of pure chaos.</p><p>And yet, arriving on the scene, was the gentler Wind looking over all the destruction caused by a rage-filled spirit seeking justice. It could only watch helplessly – Varian was the only one who could fix this now, despite the memory loss. However it would prove exceptionally hard since the boy was now a blank slate, without any memories to call his own. A horrible choice, but a needed one: let a raging spirit of Winter cause havoc across the land or attempt to curb this revenge plan by sealing once more the memories? The decision hadn’t been as easy as it seemed, but necessary. Wind had to keep Varian away from remembering more lest the blizzard aggravates and he becomes-</p><p>So the Element simply continued to watch on, observing the damages and trying to figure out how to help cease the vow of vengeance.</p>
<hr/><p>Shivering citizens were huddled up together near every available. Quiet murmurs and subtle sobbing were most of the noise inside the room.</p><p>The big doors suddenly opened and the King’s advisor sprinted towards the throne on which Frederic der Sonne sat, trying to figure out the solution to their predicament.</p><p>And it had finally arrived – Quirin entered the room with a glare and raised head.</p><p>“Good of you to come, Quirin”, the King got up and walked to his old friend.</p><p>“Frederic”, an icy tone replied and the man froze. “I heard the brief summary of the blizzard from your advisor and was summoned”.</p><p>“Yes”, said the king as he paced around, “I figured you would be the best man to rein in your…son and make him see reason”</p><p>“Reason?”</p><p>Frederic stopped in his tracks and looked at the village leader with squinted eyes in offense. “Surely you don’t believe Corona is deserving of this fate do you? These are innocent people-“</p><p>“And Varian was an innocent child. Was he deserving of his fate?”, Quirin glared. His heart froze solid long ago. Did the people here shivering in the corner without a home to call their own deserve this? No, no they didn’t. Did he care? Not particularly at the moment. All he wanted was to see his son again, now taken away once more thanks to the Royal Family.</p><p>He was by no means cruel, but he understood the justice Varian wanted (and dare he say wanted as well). His eyes snapped towards a feminine voice he knew quite well. The Queen herself had just come out of one of the side rooms with an armful of warm blankets.</p><p>“Quirin, I understand you seek for the wrongs to be righted. Both of you. But you cannot obtain it if we all freeze to death. I…know how painful it is to lose a child, and I do not wish to belittle you about this, but this dark path he has chosen is not the way. Please”</p><p>He was silent, his gaze going from person to person inside the room. They were all looking at him with that annoying glimmer of hope in their eyes. Hope for their peaceful little lives to go back to the way they were, content with ignoring his and Varian’s suffering. In the end, he had to relent – he could stop the blizzard and see the spirit all at once. Two birds with one stone. It was…logical – though he hated it in a way.</p><p>“<em>Fine</em>. I will try to speak to him”</p><p>Tension immediately released upon hearing his words, with smiling faces reassuring each other. He flinched when he heard a few of the whispering voices call the spirit “evil” and “good riddance”, but stayed silent once again.</p><p>“What is your plan, Quirin?”, Frederic asked as he sat down on the throne.</p><p>The men spent the day away discussing as the storm howled louder outside.</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>Somewhere in Old Corona, people were gathering.</em>
</p><p>“How are the supplies looking?”</p><p>“Not too good, we’re bound to run out of food soon. Matches and hay looks fine though”</p><p>“Good. If Corona won’t do anything, then we’ll end the winter ourselves as soon as it shows its face again”</p>
<hr/><p>Back in the mountains, a demon smiled. Ah, it had been a while since she’d come here, to this rather sacred place for spirits.</p><p>Her plan was also going smoothly. Cassandra was still figuring out how to control the Moonstone and would be busy for a while. The townspeople of Corona were all gathered in one place, vulnerable. Best yet, the Sundrop was there too! How wonderful - she didn’t need to look for her.</p><p>And now…the power she needed was ripe for the taking. Zhan Tiri walked up and entered the cavern, looking over the peaceful face of the new Winter spirit – who woke up startled upon sensing a new presence nearby. The very same boy she remembers watching run through her blizzard. </p><p>“<strong>W-Who are you?</strong>”, Winter asked.</p><p>“A friend, at least I’d like to be”, she smiled.</p>
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